Burr Ridge Text Controversy Sparks Concern: Official

BURR RIDGE, IL — The Burr Ridge Village Board is poised to promote the village's assistant administrator to the top job temporarily, but a string of text messages appears to have delayed the decision, a trustee said Thursday.

In an interview with Burr Ridge Patch, Trustee Zach Mottl described the conversations about the issue in a closed session of the Village Board on Wednesday night.

He said the trustees were concerned about text messages from Assistant Village Administrator Evan Walter, but trustees still plan to appoint Walter as acting administrator Monday to replace Doug Pollock, who is leaving under a separation agreement with severance pay.

Two weeks ago, Mottl emailed village officials the screenshots of what he said were text messages between him and Walter from last spring and earlier. In those messages, Walter was critical of Pollock and Finance Director Jerry Sapp, among others.

In the closed session, Mottl said, trustees expressed "extreme concern" about the text messages and saw them as a lapse in judgment on Walter's part. But they seemed willing to overlook the texts and appoint Walter, Mottl said.

"They said they would appoint him acting village administrator until they feel his judgment is trustworthy," Mottl said.

The other trustees, Mottl said, were upset that Mottl did not show them the text messages sooner, with some saying he "baited" Walter into criticizing village officials.

In the board's open session, Mottl said Walter's text messages ended up being misinformation about what was going on inside Village Hall. The trustee apologized for calling Pollock and Sapp incompetent last year, saying Walter's messages led him to that belief.

It was unusual — though not illegal — for a member of a government body to disclose what happened in a closed session.

Asked about Mottl's account of the closed discussion, Grasso said, "I will not comment about closed session events."

Two weeks ago, Grasso recommended Walter as the new administrator. Last Monday, the board immediately voted to delay a decision for two weeks. Trustees provided no explanation at the time, but Mottl attributed the delay to the disclosure of the text messages. Patch has filed a public records request for them.

The board also delayed a resolution honoring Pollock's 25 years of service to the village, the last three as its administrator. It was unclear when the board plans to vote on it. Pollock's last day is Friday, although he plans to continue as the village's part-time planner.

The board was set to vote on an appointment of an administrator after its closed session Wednesday. But the village's attorney advised against making a decision because the village failed to give enough notice to the public under the state's open meeting law.

Walter has been the assistant village administrator since May 2019. He started as assistant to the village administrator two years before that.

On another matter, board members were told that the village would let go Sapp, the finance director, based on fitness-for-duty issues, Mottl said. He has been on administrative leave since early September. Mottl said he questioned that decision. On Monday, Sapp wrote a letter to the board defending himself. He also provided a response to this story, which is below.

Walter and Pollock have not returned messages for comment. Sapp deferred questions to the mayor.

Here is Burr Ridge Finance Director Jerry Sapp's response to the latest news:

To: Patch Newspaper

From: Jerry Sapp

Subject: Statement on November 5, 2020 Article Burr Ridge Text Controversy Sparks Concern

I want to provide some clarity on the fitness for duty comment below from your article today.

On another matter, board members were told that the village would let go Sapp, the finance director, based on fitness-for-duty issues

After my panic attack on September 4, I was asked by my supervisor to take vacation time and receive a full clearance from a medical doctor before returning. On September 8th, I was examined by my doctor and received a full return to work without restrictions. A few hours later I was put on administrative leave. I was directed to take a fitness for duty examination for my panic attack by a forensic psychological neuropsychological firm that specializes in evaluations for mental disorder offenders, sexual behavior disorders and workplace violence. I was locked out of the Village facilities and computer systems. I was cut off from communicating with Village employees. No benefit of the doubt was given, and I felt like a criminal that did something wrong when I did not.

Two weeks passed before the Village provided instructions for my fitness for duty exam. Another week passed until I had my examination and was submitted to 10 hours of psychological neuropsychological forensic examinations. September 23rd I was told by the doctors that I could expect the report in 2 weeks, and it was withheld for 5 weeks. The final, review by the doctors was very short and positive. The doctor stated, they would be very surprised if there was anything in the report that would prevent me from returning to work. We had anticipated a positive report and to finally be returned to work.

On October 28th I received a verbal notification that I was not fit for duty and was stunned. We have requested a full written report from the forensic testing firm to be distributed to the Mayor and Board of Trustees and myself. Since it has been over 2 months since my panic attack, I am having at my own expense a third-party independent examination since my employer will not. I need to verify my original doctors release to work without restriction on September 8th and determine why positive comments from doctors ended with a verbal not fit for duty.

I am a 61-year-old accountant with a wife, two sons, and a granddaughter and am very proud of my reputation. I love my job and the people I work with and never consider myself a danger to anyone. I am heading into my third month of administrative leave and continue to be at a loss as to why I am being treated like this for a panic attack. I continue to patiently wait to return to work which always has been my number one goal throughout this process. I contend that I am and always have been fit for duty.

Jerry Sapp

Finance Director

Village of Burr Ridge